(Photo by Shannon Finney/Getty Images for Semafor)
Longtime Donald Trump ally Steve Bannon is raising fresh concerns about Republicans’ chances of keeping control of the U.S. House, following a major setback in Indiana that derailed a Trump-backed redistricting push ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
On Thursday, Republicans in the Indiana State Senate overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to redraw congressional maps mid-decade, despite strong backing from Trump. The plan would have dramatically reshaped Indianapolis and effectively eliminated every Democratic-held congressional seat in the state. Its failure marked a significant blow to GOP efforts to gain an advantage through redistricting before voters head to the polls.
The vote capped months of intense pressure from the Trump White House and its allies, who sought to convince hesitant lawmakers to support the changes. According to reports, the pressure campaign included threats, intimidation tactics, and even warnings about potential cuts to federal funding for Indiana. Some state senators were reportedly targeted with “swatting” incidents at their homes during the heated debate, adding to the controversy surrounding the effort
With the Indiana plan collapsing, Bannon warned that Republicans are running out of options to secure the seat gains they believe are necessary to protect their slim House majority. Speaking on his War Room podcast from a hotel outside Indianapolis as the vote was taking place, Bannon painted a grim picture for the party’s prospects.
“We have a huge problem,” said Bannon. “People have to realize that we only have a couple of opportunities. We’ve got a net of five to 10 seats. If we don’t get a net 10 pickup in the redistricting wars, it’s going to be enormously hard, if not impossible, to hold the House.”
Indiana is not the only state where Republican redistricting ambitions have stalled. In Ohio, GOP leaders recently agreed to a compromise map with Democrats, limiting potential gains. In Kansas and New Hampshire, Republicans failed to move forward with any mid-decade redistricting at all. At the same time, Democrats in California have advanced their own redistricting efforts, partly in response to aggressive Republican moves in Texas.
These setbacks come as political analysts and polling data suggest Republicans could be heading into a difficult election cycle. With narrow margins in the House and limited opportunities left to reshape congressional maps, the pressure is mounting on GOP leaders to find alternative strategies. For Bannon and other Trump allies, the Indiana defeat underscores just how fragile the party’s position may be as the next round of national elections approaches.
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